Not one, not two, but three fighters (right about now, Sesame Street’s The Count is laughing maniacally) have dropped off the UFC Vegas 5 card.
Timur Valiev, whose highly anticipated promotional debut was expected this weekend, fell off the card late Thursday. Per a report by MMA Junkie, Valiev has been replaced by Vince Cachero in the fight featuring Jamall Emmers.
Charlie Ontiveros (11-6), meanwhile, is reportedly stepping in to replace Eric Spicely opposite Markus Perez. That’s per a second report by MMA Junkie, which Spicely later confirmed.
“For the sake of transparency this was my first weight cut since starting antidepressants due to the head trauma I sustained in the Deron Winn fight,” the middleweight wrote on social media. “Needless to say it went horribly wrong and my fight is off. I will figure this problem out and hopefully be able to compete again.”
Finally, Ray Borg has had a fight derailed yet again. He’s dropped off the card for undisclosed reasons per a third report. The undefeated Johnny Munoz (10-0) steps into his place.
UFC Vegas 5 goes down this Saturday in Las Vegas, NV, meaning the promotion no doubt had to scramble to find replacements. All of whom will need to pass the various health and safety protocols put in place to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.
